Meanwhile...

We went right past Our Lady of Altagracia Day, which is celebrated in the Dominican Republic., 21 January. When I looked it up I realized what a big deal it is:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Altagracia
Then less than a week later (26 January), in the same country, it's Juan Pablo Duarte Day. "Father of the Nation" -- 19th century political and military figure.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Pablo_Duarte
The 26th is a real national day in India (Republic Day, adoption of the Constitution, 1950) and Australia (Australia Day, "Captain Arthur Phillip and his crew raised the Union Jack flag on the beach at Warrane, on the unceded sovereign land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation", as somebody online puts it (1788).
And here it's Anniversary Day (Monday, 27 January). Anniversary of what? you may ask. Why, of Auckland Province, which was proclaimed on 29 January 1853 (I think), and abolished in 1876, along with all the other provinces. Every "province" still has an Anniversary Day, celebrated just in that region. Nobody cares much about the provinces any more, but it's a holiday -- regatta on the harbour -- Sunday we'll go out to the Folk Festival... weather looks promising.